Mila Cloud - Quietly Unpresent (EP Review)

Release Date: September 03rd 2025. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Quietly Unpresent - Tracklisting

1.Unwater 02:48

2.Nonexisting People with Familiar Voices 03:05

3.Quietly Unpresent 03:28

4.To Live Secretly in Someone Else's House 04:20

Members

Mila Cloud - Everything

 

Review

Doom/Drone/Post-Black Metal solo artist Mila Cloud with their first release in over two years with their spellbinding new EP Quietly Unpresent which sees a slight change of pace from Mila. As this EP is more reflective and stripped back of aggressive Black Metal creative energy that Mila has released previously. This record is more emotionally charged and taps right into the Shoegaze and Doomgaze structures that a lot of Post-Black Metal outfits are currently down.

The LOW & SLOW melodies is a refreshing change with deep levels of FUZZED OUT DOOM appearing that appear within the haunting opening track of Unwater. The sound is perhaps Post-Rock obsessive at the best of times but Mila does add a sprinkling of Drone Metal to elevate the song into a cautionary style of Alt Metal that reminds me of Deftones in places.

Second track Nonexisting People with Familiar Voices continues with the Shoegaze/Doomgaze vibe with a sound that has a meaningful extended instrumental energy to it all. The song is purposely slow with Mila expanding upon their Drone and Post-Rock creative heritage which sees a sense of Ambient textures forming before epic sludgy guitars appear. The sound is still cautiously slow but offers a heavier vibe for some brief moments of emotional clarity.

Third track Quietly Unpresent is the heaviest track with thick layers of destructive Ambient based Drone/Doom Metal being played against each other. The mood is highly destructive and sees Mila generate a brooding and aggressive style of music with the distorted soundscapes once again capturing a long drawn out style of Doomgaze with flashes of psychedelic tension along the way.

The final track To Live Secretly in Someone Else's House is another reflective Ambient/Post-Rock number with Mila once again laying everything on the line where listeners can't help form an emotional connection to the lush surroundings of the music being played here. Perhaps not the heaviest track to begin with but easily the standout track with Mila combining subtle Drone, Doom, Fuzz and Alt-Metal elements that allows Quietly Unpresent to end on a highly satisfactory conclusion.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

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Mila Cloud - Long Way Back From The Familiar Place We've Never Been To (EP Review)

Release Date: September 09th 2023. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD

Long Way Back From The Familiar Place We've Never Been To  - Tracklisting

1.Cloudgazer 05:24

2.Sweet Mommy 01:46

3.Some Warsaw Junkie 04:52

4.The Coldest Boy 03:19

5.Long Way Back From The Familiar Place We've Never Been To 04:42

6.Dzielna Street Recovery Center 02:25

Review

It’s been a while since I’ve ventured into Drone/Doomgaze Solo Artist Mila Cloud dark edgy industrial based world. That was way back in Jan 2023 when I reviewed their 2022 Release Graylight. Now Mila returns with a new EP that’s a concept record of sorts which is described below:

“This album is about Warsaw in the 90's. It tells the story about blocks of flats, clouds, night buses, junkies, parks and backyards.

Some places have probably never been as we remember them now. We've never been there, so it's time to come back.”

I can only comment on the music itself and not the overall story as I’m from the UK but I can see similarities in the hometown where I grew up. However, this is about the EP itself with Long Way Back From The Familiar Place We've Never Been To being a more surreal and Psychedelic based Drone journey compared to Graylight.

This has a more unsettling Post-Rock based sound with Mila adding layers of Ambient Doomgaze effects. The music is beautifully slow paced and distinctively mellow with an air of menacing Industrial grooves appearing more prominently on the excellent third track Some Warsaw Junkie which has a more seedy experimental sound. The song does capture a sense of bleak reality despite the absence of vocals and lyrics. Mila has a wonderful talent for capturing the finer details of human emotion and frailty with the long drawn out Doomgaze sounds that shows brief moments of Psychedelic Post Rock before changing back to a more nightmarish world.

The whole EP follows the same destructive and droned out path with Mila creating an EP that feels mostly like an extended track broken down into individual chapters. The music despite its harsh textures can be quite soothing and melodic with this being another standout release from Mila Cloud. The use of nightmarish FUZZ is another clever way of bringing a more DISTORTED and HEAVIER sound to the record even when the quieter Ambient Post-Rock sounds are used more primarily compared to the harsh Droned Out noises that people may expect to be.

The production values are impressive indeed with MIla allowing themselves the perfect creative opportunity to let their music evolve and grow naturally. The Shoegaze or Doomgaze sound of the EP is the strongest aspect of the whole release which left me wanting to hear more. 

Long Way Back From The Familiar Place We've Never Been To is another sublime release from Mila Cloud and should hopefully allow Mila Cloud to gain more notice within the Drone/Doom/Post-Rock underground scene.

Words by Steve Howe

Links

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Mila Cloud - Graylight (EP Review)

Release Date: October 14th 2022. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: DD

Graylight: Tracklisting

1.Graylight 05:20

2.Wanda 01:47

3.Tenkiller Lake 02:57

4.Grave Land 02:56

5.Gray Meadow 03:47

6.Lowaring 08:12

Members

Mila Cloud - Everything

Review

Graylight is the latest release from Polish Doomgaze/Dronegaze Solo Artitst Mila Cloud and it’s quite an emotional release that packs quite a punch with Mila’s style of industrial based Drone/Doom sounds that appear on the record.

The music moves at a delicious slow pace which allows Mila to blend Ambient sounds and textures with the haunting Drone/Doom extended grooves. There’s a Post-Doom or Post-Rock flavour to Mila’s style of Instrumental music. Throw in a welcome bonus of Shoegaze effects and Mila delivers a deeply engaging release that can be quite dense and heavy on the excellent opening track Graylight before moving into sombre Post-Rock/Indie Rock territory on the deeply engaging second track Wanda.

Graylight is Mila’s fourth release and they deliver a winning style of emotionally charged slice of Drone/Doom that firmly focuses upon the “SHOEGAZE” environment. Maybe not as heavy as you might expect but there are moments of beautifully played distorted heaviness with an air of calm, confidence and aggression around everything. The instrumental work is first rate with decent production values helping Mila along the way. 

The second half of the record is perhaps the strongest part of this release. As everything has more clarity and focus especially with the heavier moments. Standout tracks here include Grave Meadow and Lowering. Expect more of an Ambient driven score with a Post-Doom effect when the long drawn out noises and effects appear.

If you’re a fan of the whole DOOMGAZE sound  or SOLO ARTIST field then Mila Cloud is worth checking out. As Graylight is an unexpected dark and gloomy delight.

Excellent and Highly Recommended.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp